Tom Norton

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
CES 2013
LG Moves You
Tom Norton  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  0 comments
This is just one of the images that the LG video wall morphed into. The moving 3D images ranged from the surreal to the fantastic. It was the standout booth entrance at the show. LG provided the passive polarized lens of the 3D glasses over the camera lens.
CES 2013
LG Moves You
Tom Norton  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  0 comments
The major HDTV manufacturers fell all over themselves, as usual, trying to produce the most spectacular, eye-catching booth theme. But the grand prize goes to LG, which built on the 3D video wall first shown last year with some of the most eye-catching imagery seen at the show. The wall appeared to be made up of 140 sets, if my count is right (I counted them on site; a few sets re cropped off here) and each set appeared to be 55-inches. That's about 90 feet wide.

The images had to be viewed through passive 3D glasses provided to the attendees (the glasses were also needed inside the booth, where many displays were 3D). How, you may wonder, did I capture these images in 2D to show here without the double image effect? Simple: I held one lens of the 3D glasses in front of the camera lens, so only one eye-image came through to the camera's imager.

CEDIA 2012
Atlantic Soundbar
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  0 comments
If there was a theme to this year's CEDIA EXPO, it would be The Rise of the Soundbar. While these devices are incapable of reproducing the full impact of a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system consisting of discrete speakers and a subwoofer, they are undeniably convenient. And many of them sound better than you might imagine. One such is this fully powered $900 model from Atlantic Technology. The driver configuration is 2-channels, but has internal processing that is said to offer a three or five channel ambient experience from a Dolby Digital or DTS surround source. Using H-PAS technology, the Atlantic claims extension down to 47Hz without a subwoofer. While there was a trend at the show toward ultra thin soundbars, most of the latter required a subwoofer to go that low. The Atlantic is 6.5-inches deep, and may be wall mounted, shelf-mounted, or positioned on top of your stand-mounted flat panel using special brackets designed for this purpose.
Continue Reading >
CEDIA 2012
Marantz Pre-pro and Amp
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  0 comments
Marantz was on hand with its latest surround preamp-processor and 5-channel amp. Apart from slightly increased price, the AV7701 7.2-channel pre-pro ($1700) is similar to last year’s model. The 5-channel, 140 WPC, MM7055 power amp is priced at the same $1700.
Continue Reading >
CEDIA 2012
Sony Also Does Anamorphic
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  0 comments
The new Sony VPL-HW50 discussed earlier in our report also features anamorphic processing. It’s shown here with a fixed Panamorph anamorphic lens.
Continue Reading >
CEDIA 2012
Schneider Optics
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  0 comments
Schneider displayed its extensive range of anamorphic lens options. The company makers some of the best (and most expensive) such devices on the market, with a wide range of mechanisms to move the lens into and out of position. The device on the right is the latest such rig.
CEDIA 2012
Mozaex Surround Headphones
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  0 comments
The BluWavs Headset from Mozaex is the first truly discrete 7.1-channel headphone, with 10 individual and individually driven drivers. They come with a console that provides full amplification for a package price of $1299. An optional multiband graphic equalizer (for the front channels only) adds $300. They were effective, though the frequency balance of the prototypes on display needs a little more TLC, as does the comfort for this large, heavy design.
CEDIA 2012
Steinway-Lingdorf's Towering LS Delivers Best-of-Show Sound
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2012  |  1 comments
With its line-array Model LS at the left and right consisting of fifteen 5.25-inch woofers and eight AMT tweeters, a similar array in the center partially hidden by an acoustically transparent screen, a stack of eight 12-inch woofers in each front corners, and a complementary setup in the rear, Steinway-Lingdorf produced the most dynamic sound, by far, at the CEDIA EXPO. All of the speakers were multi-amped, and Lingdorf’s proprietary room compensation was included. The gunfight from Open Range was so loud, but clean, that I needed ear muffs. None being handy, fingers in the ears sufficed after the first few volleys whizzed over my head. It can all be yours for a few bucks short of $500,000.
CEDIA 2012
Sony Concept Speakers
Tom Norton  |  Sep 08, 2012  |  0 comments
Here's a closer look at the Sony speakers discussed above.
CEDIA 2012
Sony Video meets Sony Audio
Tom Norton  |  Sep 08, 2012  |  1 comments
When it comes to high-end speakers, Sony has had tough sledding in the U.S. market, despite some quality products. Its current SS-AR1 and SS-AR2 are excellent designs, but at $27,000 and $20,000 per pair respectively, they'll be a hard sell to any but the passionate and well-healed audiophile.

So when I saw a new pair of concept speakers side-by-side with Sony's new 84-inch, 4K flat panel on the company’s show floor booth I was intrigued. They weren't getting much attention from the CEDIA crowd, of course. All eyes were on the HDTV, and the sound was at a very low level and drowned out by the general din of the convention center din.

But the speakers were being demonstrated rather secretively at a nearby hotel. The official introduction is still weeks or months away (possibly at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver in October but more likely at CES in January), so it’s all very hush-hush for now. If I tell you more about them here I’d have to kill you. But you can get a closer look in the following entry, including the speaker’s unique tweeter arrangement. For now I'll just say that they will get a lot of positive attention when they arrive officially. The pricing is still TBD, but will be lower, and perhaps considerably lower, than the SS-AR1 and SS-AR2. And unlike be those determinedly 2-channel designs, matching centers, bookshelves, and subs will be available.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X